Spinach, Ricotta and Pumpkin Lasagna

Ingredients

Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 1 pound peeled and seeded pumpkin, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 (16 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
• 12 dry lasagna noodles
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan with the softened butter. Toss pumpkin pieces with cinnamon, salt and pepper, spread on a sheet pan and roast 20-25 minutes until tender. Mash coarsely.

2. Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and lay flat on a lightly oiled tray.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook sliced onion and fennel 8-10 minutes until soft, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

4. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F (71°C). Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then add tomato puree and bay leaves. Simmer 15 minutes, then remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

5. Wilt baby spinach in a large pan with a splash of water over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry and chop. Mix with ricotta, nutmeg, and half the Parmesan. Season lightly.

6. Make the sauce: melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in milk. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the pan. Layer noodles, ricotta-spinach mixture, mashed pumpkin and meat sauce. Repeat, finishing with noodles. Spread the white sauce over the top.

8. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake 10-15 minutes more until bubbling and lightly browned. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.